U.S. Forest Service Pacific Southwest Research Station
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http://www.fs.fed.us/psw/
News for immediate release: October 18, 2007—4:30 p.m., PST
Contacts: Dr. Susan Cordell, Institute of Pacific Islands Forestry, 808/987-4115
Roland Giller, Pacific S.W. Research Station public affairs, 510/ 559-6327
Research Approved For Hawaiian Military Training Area
ARLINGTON, Va.—On Wednesday, the Strategic Environmental Research
Development Program scientific advisory board approved a $1.7 million proposal to
study ways to restore tropical dry forests where military training is conducted in Hawaii
and other Pacific Islands.
The Strategic Environmental Research Development Program is a part of the
Department of Defense and funds projects addressing the environmental impact of
military operations.
Research scientists with the U.S. Forest Service’s Institute of Pacific Islands
Forestry, Carnegie Institution and University of Puerto Rico will now work with
Department of Defense land managers to conduct the four-year study on the Big Island’s
Pohakuloa Training Area.
The 108,863-acre Army training area is the largest Department of Defense site in
Hawaii, and is located near the center of the island between the Mauna Loa, Mauna Kea
and Hualalai Volcanic Mountains.
Tropical dry forests like the one in the Pohakuloa Training Area are the most
widely distributed forest type in Hawaii. But, they are also the most degraded and
endangered ecosystems in the Pacific.
This project presents a unique opportunity for scientists because the area is a
designated conservation district and few studies have been conducted on successful
restoration practices in these ecosystems. Their conclusions can be used to restore
similar tropical dry forests in Hawaii, Guam, Palau, Rota, Tinian, Saipan and Yap.
Agriculture production, grazing, military activities and logging in Hawaii have
often resulted in decreased biological diversity and a shift from dry forests to non-native
invasive grasses that feed wildland fires.
Plant ecologists involved with the project will use satellite technology to develop
high-resolution ecosystem maps they can compare to historical data to see how past
activity has altered the landscape. They will then know the current condition of the forest
and potential for restoring it.
“Breaking the invasive species/wildland fire cycle is among the greatest
challenges facing Department of Defense land managers and researchers in the Pacific,”
said Dr. Susan Cordell, an Institute of Pacific Islands Forestry scientist. “We hope to
provide concrete, practical information to restore remaining Hawaiian dry forests.”
The Strategic Environmental Research and Development Program scientific
advisory board also approved a $1.7 million award on Wednesday for a study combining
the expertise of research scientists with the U.S. Forest Service and University of
California at Riverside who will measure the smoke impact of controlled burns occurring
on military training sites in California and Arizona.
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